Conversations with Kadi Beth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kadi Beth

Hi Kadi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Athens, Georgia home to R.E.M., the B52’s, Widespread Panic, and Pylon. In middle school, I began singing in the church choir. It was a bit funny, actually. I would belt out church hymns and our priest, at the time, would ask me to sing more “reverently”.

In middle school, I auditioned for my first rock band, “the Friday Knights”. That’s where I first found a home for my rock voice. We played the main stage at the Athens summer music festival “Athfest” in 2011. There’s a cute video of me singing “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar from that same day.

In high school, I moved on to my second band “Zenith Blue”. They needed a lead singer and the bassist Jacob, who was in my first band, recommended me! I took a more prominent role and began performing songs that I had written. I thought they were just cheesy songs but my Dad actually claims that some of his favorites are from that band! I guess I did have a gift at a young age of expressing emotions. My cousin, Casey, passed away around that time and I turned that experience of losing someone into a song called “Chapters”. I think about recording that song and releasing it. We were young in that band “Zenith Blue”. All about 15 years old, we became known around town to cover the greats, namely Led Zeppelin and The Who. There are some videos still on Youtube from that time. They crack me up. We played festivals like Athfest, cool venues like the 40 Watt, and participated in an album called “Players of the Lyre” benefitting the American Cancer Society in 2016. At the same time, I was playing the oboe in my high school band. My high school band director, Dr. Lawrence, was a bright light in my life. He really pushed me to be the best I could be. He taught me a lot about the fabric of music.

I’m a bit of a nerd so school distracted me from music, temporarily. I went to college at the University of Georgia and studied International Affairs. I was fluent in Spanish and Portuguese at the time and wanted to learn more languages, so I minored in Russian and Arabic. I took a few Mandarin classes, too. I’ve never met a stranger and love forming deep connections with people I meet so I combined music with my language skills and wrote a song in Portuguese called “Serial Lover”. I later created the band “Kadillak”, after my name, with local Athens friends. I was working part-time at a burger shop in college. I looked at one of the line cooks (now my friend, Carson) and said “hey, do you play guitar?” He answered yes and we started Kadillak! We had a blast in that band. Those players are insanely talented – Carson, Sam, Vic, and Cubby! I love those songs we wrote. We played around Athens and Atlanta and even sold-out Smith’s Olde Bar! Kadillak recorded two EPs and 1, available on all streaming platforms. The first album, released in 2021, was recorded by David Barbe, producer of Drive-By Truckers, long-time musician, and Director of Music Business at the University of Georgia. The second and final Kadillak EP was recorded in a basement on tape!

I’m now in Nashville, Tennessee, pursuing a solo career, but it’s never really solo, you know. I’ve found some awesome people to write with and we’ve got some of my favorite tunes coming out on my debut album. I’m also going with the flow. I’ll write in just about any genre and I find that’s my gift. Since moving here in 2022, I’ve released 8 solo singles. Some are folky, others rockin’, and a few with a soulful influence. I had an incredible team help me film a music video called “Yonah”, after my song, on top of Yonah mountain in Georgia. That was an awesome experience. That video won Best Music Video in NYC’s International Film Festival and has since won 4 other film festival awards. “Echo5” is another project you can hear my voice in. We were a short-lived garage-punk band in Nashville that released a 3-song EP in 2023. I’ve actually got 2 albums in the works! My debut album, set to release early next year has been my baby. I’ve been working with my producer and great friend, Andrew McFarlane. We’ve put our heart and soul into these songs. I can’t wait to resonate with the world in the range of emotions showcased in the album. It’s much more than love; I sing about coming of age, trials and tribulations, deep dark holes, and shiny highs. I’ll share more on that when the album’s out!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Choosing music was not an easy choice for me. It’s definitely a constant struggle. You have to believe in yourself more than anyone else. It’s a risky career. Everyone says, “you’ve got to absolutely love it”, but we’re all human and we’re artists, ha. There are plenty of dark days in this career, but, yes, the sun still rises! Up until June of this year, I was working in Global Trade consulting. I had a steady job, made good money, but I wasn’t happy. I took a gamble and left the job to pursue music. I’ve learned a lot about myself since then. I’ve also learned who I want to surround myself with! It’s so easy to get into a negative mindset and worry about money and the future. I’ve been working hard on gratitude and positivity and try to surround myself with people who believe that, too. I truly believe that your internal mindset creates your reality. If you’re constantly thinking you’re not going to make it, then you probably won’t. It’s a fine line, right? It takes balancing humility with confidence. There are always going to be struggles in life. It sounds cliche, but you’ve got to enjoy the journey! I want to live my life knowing that I’ve shared all my gifts with the world, that I’ve given back all that God gave me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a singer and songwriter. I’m half-hermit, half-social butterfly so my creative process is unique to me. I observe people and actions and stories. I take it all in, then I put it into a song. Most songs are about my coming of age, trials and tribulations, and bittersweet victories. I like to tackle the hard emotions, the ones that aren’t super clear. For that reason, my songs aren’t cut and dry. I sing in a ton of metaphors, so it might mean something different to you, me, and the person I will be 10 years from now. I like that about my music. I’m known for my unique voice. I don’t box myself into 1 genre. I grew up singing classic rock and love singing some Zeppelin, but as I’ve met friends that write more pop, folk, or soul, I’ve learned that I can melt into their genre. I love the contrast on my artist pages. You can listen to my song “Yonah” then “Tip Toe” and wonder if it’s the same artist, haha. My boyfriend, Jack Holliday, is an insanely talented artist and producer. He’s more into R&B and neo-soul, so together we create something extraordinary and new. People that work with me probably say that I take my songwriting pretty seriously, haha. It’s an emotion that I want to convey. I want the listener to really soak into that emotion and go for a ride. I’m proud of myself for stepping out of the box and bringing others out of their shells. Everyone has beautiful, unique gifts inside of them. I love to find them in people and help them to show it. Music naturally facilitates that, and I love it.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I pray the industry continues to showcase real and raw talent. I hope the underdogs get recognition for their hard work. On the flip side, I hope artists continue to listen to their hearts and stay true to themselves. That’s how real art is made – being true to yourself. I think listeners fall in love with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kadibeth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kadibeth_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558435186470
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KadiBeth
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kadi-beth